Although people are instinctually fearful of big wild cats, they also possess a certain amount of alien appeal – enough for certain individuals to covet them as pets. Indeed in 2018, the United States has experienced an epidemic of unlicensed domestic ownership of tigers nationwide.
As savage creatures with twice an athlete’s strength and packing a thousand pounds of bite force, they can singularly cause panic in an entire neighborhood. So how can you satisfy your desire for a majestic pet cat minus the danger it can cause to families (especially children)?
One of the best alternatives is to adopt a Cheetoh cat. Crossbred between an Ocicat and a Bengal cat, this breed is remarkably almost twice the size and weight of its pedigree parents.
In summary: the Cheetoh cat looks like an Asian Leopard, moves like a jaguar, and behaves like a dog. Curiously, the iconic Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery has a Cheetoh cat for a pet.
Average Cost of a Cheetoh Cat
In the United States, the average cost of buying a Cheetoh Cat from a decent breeder or foster home is anywhere within the range of $500 to $800. The price may vary depending on several factors, but one of the key factors that affect its price concerns the cattery’s prestige.
For instance, an Arizona-based breeder named Carol Drymon was acknowledged as the originator of the Cheetoh cat after the successful fusion of Ocicat and Bengal cat in 2003. Hence, her very own Wild Haven Exotics is entitled to hike the Cheetoh cat price up to at least $1,200 per kitten.
Interestingly, age does not seem to make much of a price difference since most of these unique pets are put up for sale as kittens at a relatively standard age (at 12 weeks old). After all, experts recommend it as the right age for a Cheetoh cat to be neutered/spayed and some breeders include sterilization in their adoption program.
Overall Living Expenses
Knowing the cat’s nature can provide prospective owners with a keen insight in terms of how much they’ll end up spending to sustain their pet’s needs. A Cheetoh cat is unique in certain ways considering that it’s relatively huge, energetic, affectionate, and very healthy.
These notable characteristics can help you allocate your financial resources among the following lifestyle aspects:
Feeding
The average domestic cat weighs up to 10 pounds. This means an average consumption of up to 300 calories per day for a moderately active pet.
A severe shortage of this recommended requirement would eventually deem your cat malnourished. Excess of calories causes cats to become overweight or obese, from which reports accounted for up to 59% of the cats in the United States as of 2016.
For better or worse, you won’t be dealing with the same obesity epidemic if you take a Cheetoh cat under your care. In fact, your efforts and investment in this part of its life are geared toward preventing malnutrition. Here’s why.
Adult Cheetoh cat naturally weighs up to 23 pounds. Considering the fact that they are also very hyperactive, you will have a prodigious eating machine under your custody.
According to the calculations of Merrick Pet Care, the physical profile of a Cheetoh cat requires an average of approximately 569 calories per day.
Instead of focusing on the augmentation of volume and frequency, it is best for pet owners to shift their attention towards quality. This means choosing food items that pack a high-calorie count per serving.
Having a Cheetoh cat also means being a little liberal in terms of feeding raw meat and supplementing its usual diet with hardboiled egg (90 calories per piece).
- 12 pounds of dry cat food: Up to $61
- 8 kilos of boneless beef: Up to $44
- A dozen eggs (large): Around $3.19
Hygiene
In terms of their sanitation needs, the overall cost can be directly influenced by the Cheetoh cats’ size. It does not require an incredible leap of logic to understand that huge fur babies expel a realistically proportionate volume of body wastes.
Their high metabolism also means they have a comparatively more frequent visit to the toilet per day. Hence, you need to supersize your litter and privy.
- Self-cleaning litter box: Up to $170
- A 40-pound bag of cat litter: Up to $19
Fortunately, in the area of good grooming, the hypoallergenic Cheetoh cat is blessed with a very fine velvety coat. They are more likely to enjoy brushing as a bonding experience than the need to look prim and proper.
With a lot of time being spent on adventurous playtime, it is your job to take note that these jolly felines have well-trimmed claws.
The Cheetoh cats’ exterior cleanliness seems naturally impressive, but the same thing could not be said about their oral hygiene. One must always remember that their strong hunting tendencies make them a proficient devourer of small prey.
These unsanitary meals either defile their mouths with more harmful bacteria or (worse) injure their gums with sharp residue bones.
- Grooming comb: Up to $20
- Nail clippers: Up to $12
- Finger toothbrush: Up to $6
- Pet toothpaste: Up to $9
Equipment
Cheetoh cats prefer to live in a huge family. Their owner’s presence serves as their main source of occupation.
In other words, you really need to spend time and effort into providing them vigorous playtime. Just like dogs, these cats grow very restless without a healthy outlet for their pent up energy.
The more interactive their toys, the better off these cats are.
If you need to bring your Cheetoh cat outside the house, it is important to consider how its size fits into the careful purchase of reliable gear. 27 pounds can be too heavy to haul into a pet carrier.
Fortunately, Cheetoh cats are also intelligent enough for obedience instructions. You can either put them inside a heavy-duty stroller or train them to walk tethered to your side.
- 35-pound capacity stroller: Up to $81
- Extra large padded harness: Up to $13
- Cat training school: Up to $199
- Moving mouse toy: Up to $12
- LED laser light: Up to $19
Health
Caring for a pet cat should not stop at moments when it is suffering from a serious injury or disease. Nonetheless, it is often the medical expenses that truly dampen the spirits of prospective owners.
Fortunately, initial medical procedures like sterilization (neuter/spay) are already undertaken by Cheetoh cat breeders – which is why most of them would not release kittens to their new homes until they reach 12 weeks of age.
In order to shoulder possible vet treatments, you must be able to secure thousands of dollars worth of savings. Considering such a daunting fiscal task, the wiser course of action would be to avail for pet insurance and pay for its periodic premium.
Fortunately for Cheetoh cat owners, medical emergencies are almost once in a blue moon. Apart from the possible mild conditions (e.g. flu, toothache, etc.), the most common ailment affecting the Cheetoh cats is the progressive dislocation of their knee joints (luxating patella).
There are rare instances wherein this breed may inherit one of the five known autosomal recessive disorders.
Despite being a very healthy cat breed, it is important to take into account how their canine-like energy (and restlessness) could make them accident-prone. They could be one parental absence away from emergency trauma.
It pays to take note of the possible medical procedures you may need in the aftermath of their misadventures. A Virginia-based vet clinic called Helping Hands offers the following low-cost treatments in case the Cheetoh cat gets injured or infected:
- Cruciate ligament repair: $995
- Medial patella luxation: $995
- Dental and full x-ray: $685
- Wound repair: $125 to $325
The Experimental Breed
It is interesting to mention that this breed was immediately recognized by the United Feline Organization (UFO) a year right after Carol Drymon produced the first litter of Cheetoh kittens. This group is at the forefront of lobbying global registries for official acknowledgment of new feline breeds.
As of the moment, the Cheetoh cat is still slated as an ‘experimental new breed’ under The International Cat Association (TICA).
It goes without saying that acquiring this pet breed is relatively difficult considering the limited availability. After all, the Cheetoh cat is only about to make its appearance in official worldwide registries.
Aside from the renowned Wild Haven Exotics, here are the following Cheetoh cat breeders nationwide (most of them being UFO-affiliated):
- Thomwren Cattery (Arizona)
- Wild Spots Cattery (Arkansas)
- Paws Pur Perfection (California)
- Tiffany Cheetohs (California)
- Meow Mixed Cattery (Colorado)
- Upper Valley Kennel & Cattery (New Hampshire)
- Native Fields Cattery (Ohio)
- Cranberry Coast Cats (Washington)
- Black Hills Wildcats (Washington)
All of these catteries can guarantee genuine hybrids you’re looking for. But what are you looking for?
As far as appearance is concerned, there are up to six coat color and patterns you need to check. These are the following:
- Blue marbled
- Brown marbled
- Brown spotted
- Cinnamon spotted
- Silver spotted
- Snow spotted
